Kate Gosselin Shares The 'Lasting Effects' Of Having Sextuplets On Her Body—And We Can Only Imagine

TLC programming was a major part of Millennial and Gen-X culture, particularly shows like Teen Mom, Catfish, Jon & Kate Plus 8, and Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

If you were ever curious for a closer glimpse of Kate Gosselin, mother of twins and then sextuplets, and her life, now is your chance!

Jon & Kate Plus 8 featured Gosselin, her then-husband Jon, their twin daughters (Mady and Cara, now 25), and their sextuplets (Hannah, Leah, Alexis, Joel, Aaden, and Collin, now 21).

Since the show aired, Jon and Kate have divorced due to allegations of Jon's infidelity, and Hannah and Collin have become estranged from the family, with Collin alleging that his mother was angry much of the time and took her aggression out on him.

Now on TikTok, the dialysis nurse and mom of eight is sharing her journey through infertility, unique pregnancy experiences, and giving birth to multiples.

Gosselin originally intended for the series to be three parts, then six, and eventually concluded in nine parts. You can find her full TikTok playlist of the nine parts here.

You can see Part 1 of the series here:

Part 1 of the series focuses primarily on Gosselin's experience with infertility. After trying to get pregnant for about six months, she was able to pursue intrauterine insemination (IUI). The process did not work the first time, but after the second try, Gosselin gave birth to twin daughters, Mady and Cara, who went home four days later.

In Part 2, she explains that she and Jon decided to try for their next child, knowing that multiples were possible but never expecting sextuplets. But her hormone levels were incredibly high, and her ovaries were hyper-stimulated by the experience, making it easier for multiple pregnancies to happen.

Then she recounted the "now iconic ultrasound appointment," in which she saw all of the circles representing her future children on the screen for the very first time. It was such a lasting memory for her that she could remember all the little details about the room, what everyone was wearing, and what it smelled like.

Then Gosselin started detailing the many side-effects of being pregnant with six.

Her stomach was pressed up so high to make room for the babies that her stomach was compressed into about a one-inch line stretching across her stomach.

Her bladder, on the other hand, was pressed flat and low, making it difficult to hold or process anything. Since the birth of her children, her bladder's never been "the same."

There were also issues with acid reflux. While many pregnant mothers deal with this, she'd frequently wake up in the middle of the night with acid "flying out" of her mouth, all over the bed and floor, making her choke to the point that she struggled to breathe.

To get calories into her, her doctor even encouraged:

"Most people can't eat a candy bar for breakfast... but you can!"

Part 3 details the birth of the sextuplets, and while it might seem like there wouldn't be that much of a change between birthing one baby and more than one, that might not quite apply to six.

Part 4 covers how Gosselin almost had seven babies, but one was not viable, while Part 5 recaps the family's journey home from Hershey, Pennsylvania, to Reading.

Part 6 details Gosselin's experience with juggling all eight of her children and not feeling like enough, while the remaining three parts dig more deeply into the struggles she experienced as a mom of eight, dealing with troubles in her marriage, and figuring out how to care for so many children mostly alone when many struggle with one or two.

Viewers grew to understand that there was more to the story than television programming would have them believe.

@kate.gosselin/TikTok

@kate.gosselin/TikTok

@kate.gosselin/TikTok

@kate.gosselin/TikTok

@kate.gosselin/TikTok

@kate.gosselin/TikTok

@kate.gosselin/TikTok

@kate.gosselin/TikTok

@kate.gosselin/TikTok

@kate.gosselin/TikTok

Everyone parents in their own way, and most people have opinions about how other people parent, but it's hard to imagine how you'd care for eight children, especially with six of them arriving at the same time, without going through it yourself.